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It’s cold and the RSPCA wants to prosecute you

I have one word for you: BRRRRRR!!!! It’s COLD! If you live just about anywhere in the eastern part of the country I think you’re probably suffering the same way we are where I live. I live in the supposedly “sunny South” and it’s 15 degrees outside right now. It’s supposed to get down to zero or a little below tonight. I was not born for this kind of weather! Nowhere in my genetic make-up does it prepare me to cope with these temps.

As you might guess, the dogs are curled up inside. Three of them are lying on a comforter in the floor next to my chair right now. (I have some old comforters scattered around the house in places where they like to sleep.) Billie’s on the bed and I’m not sure where Beau is, but I know it’s someplace warm. The back door is firmly closed and will remain that way. The dogs are not going in and out tonight. I will be supervising their trips outside because a) I don’t want all the heat to escape from the house; and b) they simply don’t need to be outside very much in this kind of cold weather.

Just to repeat what you already know, if you do have outdoor dogs, please make sure that they have a warm, dry place to sleep or bring them in when the weather is this cold. These extremely low temps can be life-threatening. If there is snow or ice on the ground check your dog’s paws to remove the little snowballs that form on the pads. Don’t let your dog lick his paws if he’s been walking in places that have been salted. You can wash his paws with warm water and dry them. Some people put dog boots on their dog’s paws when there is snow or ice to avoid salt and de-icing chemicals that are bad for pets to ingest. You can go ahead and give your dog some extra food when the weather is this cold, too. Their metabolism has to work a littler harder, kind of like a furnace, to keep them warm in this kind of weather.

Some of you with shorthaired dogs or with toy dogs may put sweaters on your pets. Many dogs appreciate a little extra warmth. However, don’t tell the RSPCA in Great Britain. There was a story in a British newspaper a couple of days ago where the RSPCA said that peole who dressed their pets could be prosecuted. Can you imagine that?

RSPCA says people who dress up their dogs could be prosecuted

The RSPCA is threatening legal action against people who dress up their dogs.

Last Updated: 8:36PM GMT 14 Jan 2009

The animal welfare charity claims that forcing pets to wear clothing could be harmful, and in some cases there may even be grounds to prosecute…

Jo Barr, RSPCA spokeswoman, said: “Dog owners should be aware that under the Animal Welfare Act that came into force in April 2007 they have a duty of care to ensure that all of their pets’ needs are met.

“One of those needs is to express normal behaviour and it could mean that with restrictive clothing they are not able to do that properly.

“We’re concerned that any pet should be viewed as a fashion accessory. Taking on an animal is a long-term commitment. It’s quite humiliating and sends out the wrong message about pet care.

“We’ve seen trends in recent years brought about by the rise in celebrities with ‘handbag dogs’.

“This usually leads to people taking on pets because they are ‘fashionable’ and sadly that means many are neglected.

“We’ve had similar problems with popular films like Harry Potter, with parents wanting to buy owls as pets for their children.

“Going back further to the 1990s, we saw people unable to cope with turtles and terrapins that they’d bought due to the popularity of the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.”

Oh, lighten up! I really can’t see any harm in people who like to dress up their pets. Granted, I have 70 lb dogs and they don’t much lend themselves to wearing little outfits — though I have, on occasion, put a sweater on a dog and string of pearls, just to see if my dog resembled me. (Remarkably, we wear the same size clothing.) But where is the harm in people who enjoy buying outfits for their dogs and pampering them? You certainly can’t say the dogs are neglected. Quite the contrary. Yet the RSPCA sees it as humiliating the dog. Hogwash. Dogs do goofy things all the time. They love to entertain and to be entertaining and I can’t see very many dogs balking at putting on a little sweater or some boots, especially once they have had a chance to get used to them. Dogs love to be fussed over and pampered. They love human attention. And if their human “moms” and “dads” want to go to the trouble of getting them cute little outfits I don’t see why a group like the RSPCA would want to prosecute someone for something so innocent. Harmful indeed! How silly.